How to Set Up Bleeds in Adobe Illustrator

How to Set Up Bleeds in Adobe Illustrator

Here is an image that illustrates how bleeds should (and should not) appear in your final PDF:
(In order to make the bleed and trim boxes visible in Acrobat like in the image below: "Edit", "Preferences...", "Page Display", check "Show art, trim & bleed boxes")

Example of Bleeds, Right and Wrong

Now that you can see an example of how bleeds should look in your final document, here are the steps to set up bleeds using Adobe Illustrator:

Step 1A)

If you are creating a new document (File, New...), adjust the Bleed (as indicated by the red arrow in the illustration below). Set the four values for Bleed to 0.125 in (1/8th of an inch). If you are modifying an existing document, see Step 1B) below. Set the Width and Height to the desired finished size of your piece.

Illustrator Step 1A

Step 1B)

If you have an existing document, click File, Document Setup... Then set the four values for Bleed to 0.125 in (1/8th of an inch).

Illustrator Step 1B

Step 1A)

If you are creating a new document (File, New...), adjust the Bleed (as indicated by the red arrow in the illustration below). Set the four values for Bleed to 0.125 in (1/8th of an inch). If you are modifying an existing document, see Step 1B) below. Set the Width and Height to the desired finished size of your piece.

Illustrator Step 1A

Step 1B)

If you have an existing document, click File, Document Setup... Then set the four values for Bleed to 0.125 in (1/8th of an inch).

Illustrator Step 1B

Step 2

Step 2

Now that you have set the bleed margin properly, look at this example (below) that illustrates the proper and improper use of trim and bleed margins.

  1. Bleed Line - the red bleed line indicates where your photos, illustrations, and objects must extend to in order for your document to have proper bleeds. In this case, the mustard colored box at the top must extend to the left, top, and right (not shown) bleed line.
  2. Trim Line - the black trim line indicates where the document's final cut will be, and this will be the edge of your finished piece.
  3. Correct Placement of Text - be sure to place text (and other objects) that you don't want to bleed at least 1/8' inside the trim line to avoid the possibility of these elements from being unintentionally clipped during cutting.
  4. Photos that Bleed - extend photos beyond the trim line and all the way to the bleed line.
  5. Non-Bleeding Object - Once again, be sure to place text (and other objects) that you don't want to bleed at least 1/8" inside the trim line to avoid the possibility of these elements from being unintentionally clipped during cutting.
  6. Improperly Bleeding Object - DO NOT place objects right up against the trim line. These objects will most likely not bleed or will be clipped during cutting. This is the opposite of a proper bleed setup!
Illustrator Step 2

Step 3

Once you are done designing your document (and now that you have properly set up your document for bleeds), click "File" and then "Save". Then click "File" and then "Save a Copy..." A file save prompt should appear. Change the "Save as type" to "Adobe PDF (*.PDF)". Save this PDF file to a location that is easy to locate and give your file an appropriate name.

Step 4

The Save Adobe PDF window will appear. This is the last step in the PDF exporting process. Set the following:

  1. Adobe PDF Preset - choose an appropriate PDF preset. It's recommended that you choose "[Illustrator Defualt]" to produce a file with proper resolution and color.
  2. Marks and Bleeds - click this to show the settings for marks and bleeds.
  3. Trim Marks - check Trim Marks and leave the other values at their default.
  4. Use Document Bleed Settings - IMPORTANT: be sure to check this box, otherwise all of your effort to create proper bleeds will be ignored when producing the final PDF.
Illustrator Step 4

Step 3

Once you are done designing your document (and now that you have properly set up your document for bleeds), click "File" and then "Save". Then click "File" and then "Save a Copy..." A file save prompt should appear. Change the "Save as type" to "Adobe PDF (*.PDF)". Save this PDF file to a location that is easy to locate and give your file an appropriate name.

Step 4

The Export Adobe PDF window will appear. This is the last step in the PDF exporting process. Set the following:

  1. Adobe PDF Preset - choose an appropriate PDF preset. It's recommended that you choose "[Illustrator Defualt]" to produce a file with proper resolution and color.
  2. Marks and Bleeds - click this to show the settings for marks and bleeds.
  3. Trim Marks - check Trim Marks and leave the other values at their default.
  4. Use Document Bleed Settings - IMPORTANT: be sure to check this box, otherwise all of your effort to create proper bleeds will be ignored when producing the final PDF.
Illustrator Step 4

Step 5

The resulting file should be a PDF with properly formatted bleeds. Now is the time to send us the PDF file and we'll look it over for you. You can use our web-based Upload or attach it to an email.

If you require additional help with artwork, see our Artwork Guidelines. If you want to know how to set up bleeds using other software, see our help articles regarding How to Set up Bleeds.

Step 5

The resulting file should be a PDF with properly formatted bleeds. Now is the time to send us the PDF file and we'll look it over for you. You can use our web-based Uploadhere or attach it to an email.

If you require additional help with artwork, see our Artwork Guidelines. If you want to know how to set up bleeds using other software, see our help articles regarding How to Set up Bleeds.